Driving and controlling mechanism for washing machines



Sept. 30,1924. 1,509,830

0. F. FISCHEDICK ET AL DRIVING AND CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Dec. 26, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet l (I not 142 1 g Sept. 30 1924. 1,509,830

0. F. FISCHEDICK ET AL DRIVING AND CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Dec. 26, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 8 d 76 z z c 2 4% 1+ 5 O r 6 $9 A! Ow H M- 0 l fi 6m2 2 a m 7 a/ M 5 51 wueutm ZZZ dam new "Patented Sept. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR F. FISCHEDICK AL VIN W. KBAHN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AS-

SIG'NORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SUNBEAM ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING .COMPANY, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

DRIVING AND conrnoLLme arncrmmsmiron wasnnm macnmns.

Application filed December 26, 1919. Serial No. 347,556.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, OSCAR F. Frsonn- DICK and ALVIN W. KRAHN, citizens of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Driving and Controlling Mechanism for WVashing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in driving and controlling mechanism for washing machines of the oscillatory drum pe. The objects of our invention are to provide motion transmitting connections which may be actuated by an electric motor without subjecting the latter to excessive strains or overloads dueto inertia of a heavy oscillating drum partially filled with water; to provide means whereby the motor and a portion of the transmitting mechanism may be in continuous motion during washing and wringing operations, and the power utilized to either actuate the washing drum or wringer, in different stages of the work, the motor and associated mechanism running idle when poweris not required; to provide a slip clutch coupling of uniform power transmitting capacity to permit of gradual motion transmission during accelerating and motion retarding periods; to provide means for avoiding waste of energy by avoiding dead center strains and maintaining the whereby the motor may .be disconnected from the drum and the latter locked against further oscillatiom-fin one operation of a controlling lever or handle.

In the-drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of a washing machine embodying our invention.

Figure2 is a fragmentary view showing the stopping mechanism and controlling cam.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views on line 4-74, 5-5 and 6-6 respectively of Figure 3.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters thruout the several views.

All oscillatory clothes containing drum 1 is actuated from a suitable motor 2 (preferably an electric motor) thru a series. of aligned shaft members 4:, 4:,and 4 a pin ion 5 frictionally driven from the shaft 4",

an intermediate gear wheel 6, its supporting shaft 7, pinion 8 thereon, gear wheel 9, clutch 10, sleeve shaft 11, crank 12, connecting rod 13, and the'tooth segments 14:

and 15,the segment 15' being pivotally mounted on an end trunnion 16 of the drum and provided with an arm 17 having spring l38I1S 1OI1COIlD8CtlOI1 with the drum near its periphery as hereinafter explained. In

designating the enclosed container as a drum, we do not wish to indicate that it .4 and 4*, these shaft ends being preferably flattened on one side as indicated at 4, and the tubular member or sleeve 4* is compressed upon these flattened portions of the,

shaft by metal collars 4 which are also flattened at one side. Metallic bushings 4 may also be provided within the rubber coupling member 4 to form arigid seating on the flattened shaft end and the central portion of the rubber sleeve 45 preferably filled with a wooden core piece 4. The coupling thus formed is adapted to relieve the motor from vibration which would otherwise be transmittedto it from the washing machine and it is also adapted to relieve the motor from excessive torque to the extent to which the rubber sleeve may be twisted under power applied from the motor during the starting periods or torsional strains which might otherwise be transmitted to the motor from the machinery due to a sudden sto page of the moving parts such as frequent y occurs during washing and wringing opera, tions. The flattened shaft ends may also move longitudinally in the rubber sleeve to accommodate a floating armature shaft.

To further guard the motor from overload and sudden shocksq strains, we mount I up by a clutchsleeve 44 which is shifted in the pinion 5 loosely on the shaft 4 and extend this shaft thru a divided spool 18, the sections of which are loosely interlocked and adapted to slide upon each other to a longitudinally limited extent without disengaging'a coiled spring '19 wound upon the spool ends to separate the spool heads 20 and 21. The spool head 21, however, is connected with the shaft 4 by a cross pin 22 and the spool head 20 bears frictionally on an opposing head 25 of the pinion 5 whereby the other pinion head 26 is clamped against a shaft flange 27 rigidly connected with the shaft 4 The spool head 20 and pinion head 25 therefore constitute a friction' clutch. The pressure of clutch head or member 20 upon clutch member 25 is determined by the tension of the compression .spring 19 and this pressure is suchras to plied to the drum or to the wringer mechanism, the pinion 5 may come to rest or its motion may be reduced relatively to,-that of the spool head 20 and flange 27. The pinion heads 25 and 26 are made removable from the pinion 5 in order that these heads may be quickly replaced when they become worn. Each of these heads is provided with a set of projections 29 which engage between the teeth of the pinion, thereby looking the pinion and the heads together when assembled in operative relation.

The main clutch member 10 is employed to couple sleeve shaft 11 to the hub of gear wheel 9. This gear wheel is supported on the shaft 32 and carries a beveled pinion 35 which is adapted to drive the shaft 36 of a superposed wringer thru a co-acting beveled pinion 37, shaft 38, pinion 39, and the reversing pinions 41 and 42 splined on wringer shaft 36. These 'pinions 41 and 42 are loose on the shaft 36 and are connected a well known manner by a shifter lever 45, to reverse the movement of the wringer rollers, or to move the clutchto a neutral position.

The gear segment 14 has internal teeth and is curved in the arc of a much largerpircle than that of the segment 15. The segment 14 is supported by an arm 47 from a pivot stud 48 on the machine frame, with which the segment is concentric and this pivot stud is located substantially in a horizontal line extended laterally from shaft 16. The arrangement is such that during each revolution of the crank, the segment 14 will be oscillated to the extent of about one-quarter of a turn upon its pivotal connection. Therefore, the upper end of the connecting rod 13 will follow a path which diverges but little from a vertical line and the power will be applied most effectively, for at the end of the stroke in either direction, the pull of the crank upon the segment 15 will be exerted at a point: scarcely less distant from a vertical line thru the stud shaft 16 than during the central portion of the stroke. We regard this segment 14 as a distinct inrprovement over the rack bars in common use for transmitting reciprocatory movements to pinions, for the reason that no guide bearings are necessary and no difliculty is experienced in keeping the teeth in mesh without material loss of power by friction. At the end of the stroke in either direction the crank is passing over the top and bottom quadrants of its circle of rotation, and the drum is therefore slowly retarded, brought to rest, and then slowly started in the opposite direction and accelerated until at the middle of the stroke the rapid movement causes a quick rush of water thru the clothing in the drum.

But, as above stated, the segment 15 is not connected directly with the drum. Tt

actuates the drum thru the arm 17, the lower end of which engages, between two coiled compression springs 50 and 51, the outer ends of which are seated against flanges 52 carried by a metal frame 53 connected with the drum head. During the initial movement of arm 17 in either direction, it compresses one of the springs until the inertia of the drum is overcome and at the end of the stroke, this spring reacts and the other spring is compressed against the arm until the momentum of the drum and its contents is overcome, and its motion reversed.

The drum is connected with, and disconnected from, the motor, by means of the main clutch 10. This clutch is shifted out of power transmitting position by means of a lever 55, oscillatory shaft 56 and a clutch shifting fork 57, having its shank 58 pivoted to this frame at 59. The Shaft 56 is offset. at 60, near its lower end, and below this ofi'set it is loosely engaged in a slot 62 in the shank 58, and therefore operates, as an obliquely disposed, loosely connected crank to swing the clutch fork upon its pivotal connection and move the clutch away from the 00-0 eratin teeth 31 on the hub ofsgear whee-1 9 and pinion 35. A compression spring 64 tends ,,to push the shifting fork 57 and clutch 10 into clutch setting or power transmitting osition.

In Fig. 2 it will be seen t at we have provided a locking shoe 67 to hold the arm 17 against movement in either direction from a vertical position, when. the drum lid 68 is opened to insert, remove, or inspect the clothing. The shoe 67 has a central notch to receive the arm 17 and is obliquely faced at 69 on each'side of the notch. A spring 7 0 tends to push the shoe to locking position and when the arm contacts with either oblique face 69 itpushes the shoe outwardly upon approaching a vertical position until it registers with the notch, whereupon, if the shoe is free to move inwardly it is pushed by the spring 70 into locking position.

. The shoe 67 is supported by legs 72 and 73 pivoted to the frame at 74. The leg 73 is extended to form an actuating lever H in position'for engagement by an eccentric or cam 75 on shaft 56. The eccentric is so disposed that the portion having the longer radius will bear upon lever 74" when the clutch 10 is retracted, and therefore the movement of the hand lever 55 will simultaneously disconnect the power and also look and thereby stop the drum. By swinging the hand lever 55 until it engages stop 78, the shaft or crank 56 is carried slightly beyond the point of maximum clutch retraction, and the reactionary pressure of the springs 64; tends to hold the crank 56 in such position.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the motor may be started, with the clutch 10 retracted and the drum locked,

thus setting in motion all of the power transmitting connections of the drum from the motor to and including gear wheel 9, and all of the wringer connections'to and including pinion 39.

Thereafter, and while allof these connections are in continuous motion both the wringer and the drum may be operatively connected or disconnected at pleasure by means of the levers 45 and 55 respectively.

' The additional load places no undue strain on the motor, its maximum load being controlled by the friction clutch members 20 and 25, and shocks being absorbed by the yielding coupling sleeve 4:. These members also protect the motor if started withthe drum or wringer operatively connected with the motor.

We claim: g 1. In a washing machine, the combina tion with an oscillatory drum, of a rock shaft associated with the drum, an anm pivoted upon said shaft, means for resili ently connecting said arm to the drum, and a latch engageable with said arm when the drum is in its upright position.

2. In a washing machine, the combination-with an oscillatory drum, of an oscillatory arm, means for resiliently connecting the drum to said arm for oscillation therewith, clutch controlled mechanism for oscillating said arm, manually actuated. means for operating the clutch controlling said arm oscillating mechanism, a latch adapted manually operable means for actuating said clutch and said latch, whereby these elements are alternatively operative, and means for resiliently connecting said arm with said drum, said resilient connecting means being adapted to absorb the shocks of clutch, and latch operation.

4. In a washing machine, the combination with an oscillatory drum and a rock shaft associated therewith, of an oscil1atory arm pivoted upon said rock shaft, a motor, a driven element flexibly connected with the motor, clutch controlled mechanism for oscillating said arm from said driven element, a pair of members projecting'from the drum on either side of said arm, springs interposed between the arm of each of said members, a latch engageable with the arm when the arm is in an intermediate position, and manually operable means for actuating alternatively the clutch and the latch, the shock of engagement of the clutch and the latch being absorbed at the drum by said springs and at the motor by the flexible connection between themotor and the driven element.

5. In a washing machine, the combinationtwith an oscillatory drum and clutch controlled mechanism for the actuation thereof, of a latch engageable with a por' tion of said mechanism and adapted when operative to maintainthe drum in an upright position and immovable in either direction, a control lever movable in a single plane for the operation of said clutch, whereby said drum may be maintained in opera tion or allowed to come to rest, and means automatically responsive to a clutch operating movement of said control lever for crank adapted to retract the clutch, an automatically acting lock adapted to hold the drum actuating arm against movement when the clutch is retracted, and means connected with said crank for holding the lock in for communicating motion to said actuating member, and a single control element adapted by a single movement to control said clutch and said latch.

8. In a washing machine the combination with an oscillatory drum, of an element yieldably supported 'from said drum, a latch normally pressed toward an operative posi tion of engagement with said yieldable supported element, a clutch controlling the oscillation of said drum, and means for simultaneously actuating said clutch and said latch.

91 In a washing machine, the combination with an oscillatory drum and clutch controlled mechanism for the oscillation thereof, of a latch normally urged yieldingly toward an operative position of engagement with a portion of said oscillating mechanism and adapted, when engaged therewith, to maintain said drum in an upright position and immovable in either direction, manually engageable means for controlling said clutch, and means associated with said last mentioned means for maintaining said latch in a retracted position when said clutch is engaged and for releasing said latch when said clutch is disengaged, said latch retracting and releasing mechanism being operative by continuous normal clutch controlling movement of said manually engageable means in one direction.

10. In a washing machine the combination with an oscillatory drum and clutch controlled mechanism for the oscillation thereof, said mechanism including an oscillatory arm resiliently connected with said drum, of a latch resiliently pressed toward an operative position for the engagement of said arm, whereby said drum may be held in an upright position, a rod rotatable to effect the engagement and disengagement of said clutch, and means controlled by the position of rotation of said rod for maintaining said latch in a retracted position or releasing said latch for engagement with said arm.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in the presence of a witness.

OSCAR F. FISOHE'DICK. ALVIN W. KRAHN.

Witness O. C. WEBER. 

